Too much to bear
by Tenebrae Rosa
Summary: It's just a day before the final war and Tenebrae Dumbledore is having a breakdown.


Tenebrae Dumbledore laid down on her bed in her own private room placed in the Gryffindor Tower. Her cheeks were slightly stained with some tears that spilled earlier on, her eyes a soft shade of red. Her Sapphire blue eyes that were once bright and twinkle were now dull and haunted as the war became closer and closer. Her hair was in a mess, from turning around a lot, her bed sheets in tangles. At the moment, her head was resting on her pillow, her arms under them, as she stared into a spot, her mind blank.

She let her eyes wonder around her room: the walls in rich red with the border in gold; furniture in black; her blanket, all red with a lion's head in gold, the same with the canopy curtains. Her walls were filled with portraits of her family, her parents smiling at her. Another of her grandfather sitting on a chair like a proud headmaster and grandfather he is, with her younger self behind, arms around his neck, the two of them laughing and smiling. And lastly, a pic of her best friend, Iris Koltchak: A sixth-year, Slytherin Prefect.

She let out a sigh and looked down, her eyes resting on a small picture in a frame. It was of herself in the age she is now, wearing a black dress over her knees, string tied at her nape and the bottom of her back, to keep the dress in place. She had her arms around a boy's neck, with jet-black hair, striking green eyes and a smile, his scar noticeable: Harry Potter.

Tears stung the blue eyes once more as she remembered his words that made her heart ache.

"I don't care if I survived or not. It's you whom I worried about. As long as you are alive, by the end of the war, then my job is done," he had said. A slap was all he got after those words. Ten just ran away from him after that, and had never seen him since. She even skipped lessons, to just stay in her room and be stuck in the darkness.

'_Darkness,' _she thought. And then it struck her. She wasn't the only one who's living in the dark. Harry was also living in the dark, having to do loads of DADA training, having to have the fate of the world resting on his shoulder. The slap just made it worse for the poor guy. _'Why did I do that for?'_

She got out of bed and brushed her hair. Forgetting about the state she was in, she opened her door slowly, and noiselessly, peaking out. There was silence. Ten stepped out of her bedroom and walked down the stairs, entering the Gryffindor Common.

It was empty, no sound except the crackling of the fire. Ten looked back to see her shadow dancing. But that wasn't the only shadow. Someone else was here. Subconsciously feeling guilty, Ten walked around the red couch and gave a small gasped at her discovery.

Harry was there, sitting at the bottom of the couch, his head hung, eyes closed. His cheeks were also stained; a sign he was crying. There was a red mark on his left cheek where the heiress slapped him earlier during the day. This brought up a lump in the girl's throat.

Ten dropped to her knees beside the-boy-who-lived and slowly raised her hand. Hesitantly she ran her fingers through his jet-black hair, she always loved to ruffle. A tear ran down her cheek.

She moved to a comfortable sitting position, and gently brought Harry close to her, without waking him up, placing him between her legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, loose enough for him to breathe and rest her head on top of his. She noted how cold his skin was and choked on her sob, knowing it was all her fault for having him in this situation. She could stop her sob, escaping her lips, but she couldn't stop the tears that freely ran down her cheeks, landing on Harry's face.

The boy groaned quietly, too quiet that Ten didn't hear him and he fluttered his eyes open.

"Ten?" he whispered.

Said girl gasped quietly and looked down at the boy in her arms. He brought his hands up to her arms, holding them.

"You ok?" he whispered. Ten couldn't answer as another round of sob escaped her.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry," Harry frowned for a moment until he realised what she was talking about.

He got and Ten forced herself to release him. She hung her head, not able to look at the gorgeous face, nor be able to bring her eyes to meet his striking one, the one she was always drown into. But her face was lifted by his finger and she opened her eyes.

Harry's eyes were also brimming with tears at the mere sight of her upset and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight.

"I won't lose you," he said. "I promise. I'll come back to you. I love you; I can't bear to be away from you."

"I love you too," she hiccupped. The two of them smiled at the sound, almost chuckling.


End file.
